Hubert Oebels is often mentioned in the same breath with his friend Wolfgang Graf Berghe von Trips. Early in 1960 the Scuderia Colonia was founded by von Trips and Oebels. I met Mr. Oebels, now 78 years young, in the museum when he was guiding some guests. What a story-teller this man is! In the 1970s, he was the manager of the Scuderia Colonia, and now he participates in historical races. During his race career he won many awards, cups, medals and prizes and will show them to anyone who ventures into his own room at the Villa Trips. Enthusiastically, he told us about the race on the Nürburgring where he finished second and the count fifth, then about the terrible crash on the Monza circuit of a test driver of the Scuderia Colonia, while driving the TCA. The remains of the car are in the workshop. He showed me some forty year old old photos of the accident and afterwards carefully put them away in his wallet. Politely I followed him and his guests from a distance, to listen intensely to all the stories and anecdotes he was telling---

The Castle Hemmerbach and Villa Trips

The Trips family lived in this castle since 1751, and Wolfgang grew up in this wonderful but haunting building, listening to the sounds of the Silver Arrows at the Nurburgring, which was very close to the castle grounds.

Yes, Count "Taffy" von Trips lived in a castle, whose foundations dated from the late 14th century. The original owner was Johan Scheiffart von Merode. At the beginning of the 18th century, the castle Hemmer-bach was awarded to Franz Adalph Ansem Berghe von Trips in 1751. But in 1793, the original castle was destroyed by fire. Eduard Ignatz Graf Berghe von Trips (1772/1842) and his wife Maria Elisabeth Freiin von Lemmen (1777/1854) restored the castle according to a plan designed by Johan Anton Wallée. The castle was then extended by the grandfather of Wolfgang, Graf Berghe von Trips (Clemens Maximilian Reichsgraf Berghe von Trips - 1850/1921) in 1899, according to a design of Carl Thomas. Wolfgang's father Eduard continued to live in the castle until his death in 1971. The widowed Thessa, then moved out of the castle into the nearby Villa Trips which she had built, until her death in 1978. The castle was sold in 1984 to a private owner who restored it in 1988.

After that, the Castle seemed to be neglected. In 1999 was sold to-what else-a software engineer, and today there is a very radical restoration of the whole castle in progress, starting with the outbuildings. The estate directly around the castle is fully fenced in. Warnings of big, mean dogs are posted on the fences. The castle leaves a ruinous impression, caused by the rampancy of ivies and weeds between the bricks of the entrance and some blisters on the paint. With thunder. lightning rain and wind, the castle even can look lugubrious.